The Butterfly Effect
by James Bow
Summary: Sequel to the Grandfather Paradox and FutureShock. Ron and Hermione's son, Wesley, is finally leaving. Why now?
1. Prologue: That Was Your Mother

The Butterfly Effect, by James Bow 

**Author's Note**: To understand what's going on, and who Wesley is, you need to have read the first two stories of the trilogy: **The Grandfather Paradox** and **Future Shock** as this story is a direct sequel to both. Enjoy!

Prologue: That Was Your Mother (lyrics and music by Paul Simon, 1986) 

Wesley took the stage.

He cleared his throat. "Can everybody hear me?" His voice carried across the crowded hall without the help of a microphone. The audience yelled and whistled. Wesley flushed red beneath his brown-blond hair.

"Before we start, I have some advice to give you," he said. "First of all, when you are invited to a bachelor's party organized by Fred and George Weasley… by all means, go. They know how to throw a party."

Murmurs of agreement carried across the tables and the dance floor.

"However, when Fred and George suggest games around the time of your fifth round of Butterbeer, that is your signal to pack up and head home."

The audience chuckled.

"The worst thing," said Wesley, "the absolute worst thing you could say to such a suggestion is, and I quote: 'Sure, why not?'"

The audience laughed. At the center of the head table, Ron called out in his tuxedo, "You tell them, Wesley!" Hermione, in white beside him, laughed.

Wesley harrumphed. "I would like to thank Uncle Fred and George for somehow forcing me on stage to sing the first song of the night."

Behind him, Fred and George chuckled. "Just sing like you did at the party," said Fred.

"You'll do just fine," said George.

"I would like to thank Aunt Ginny for roping Fred and George to play the accompaniment. Don't ask me how she did it."

"Don't thank her," said Fred. "Thank your sweetheart, Parvati." He fingered his accordion.

"How she got that blackmail material on us, I'll never know," added George, scowling at his banjo.

At the head table, her cane set to picket between her and Harry, Ginny smirked.

"And I would like to thank Neville for joining us on the saxophone." Wesley turned to him. "How did you get roped into this?"

"I lost the same game you did," Neville muttered.

Wesley frowned. "I don't remember that."

"It was some party."

Wesley turned to the back of the stage. "And Draco on drums. Same party?"

Draco Malfoy popped up from behind the drum set and nodded. He sat down again.

"So," Wesley turned back to the audience, "I'm here to take my humiliation like a man, for the entertainment of Ron and Hermione Weasley. And I know just the song. I'd now like to call Ron and Hermione to the dance floor."

Ron stood up and offered his hand to Hermione. She took it. They stepped through the tables, Hermione's white skirts brushing the carpet, until they reached the center of the square of wooden flooring. There, they stood, taking up the position of a waltz.

Wesley cast his eyes heavenward. "As God is my witness, I'll never sing karaoke ever again." Then he turned to his band and snapped his fingers. "And a one, a two, a one-two-three-four:"

Fred, George and Draco kicked up a quick beat that set the audiences' feet a-tapping. Wesley followed it on his fingers, and turned to sing.

_"A long time ago, yeah  
Before you was born dude  
When I was still single  
And life was great  
I held this job as a traveling salesman  
That kept me moving from state to state_

Ron and Hermione stumbled apart, shaken by the fast dance beat. But Hermione didn't stop. Grabbing Ron's hand, she swung him into the music. Ron caught on a step later. Wesley smiled, and launched into the chorus.

_Well I'm standing on the corner of Lafayette  
State of Louisi-ann  
Wondering where a city boy could go  
To get a little conversation  
Drink a little red wine  
Catch a little bit of those Cajun girls  
Dancing the Zydeco_

"_Et toi!_" shouted George. Neville launched into a solo on his saxophone. His fingers danced over the keys. Others were stepping to the dance floor, Professor McGonagall was dragging a protesting Snape out of his seat.

Wesley smirked and turned to sing again.

_"Along came a young girl  
She's pretty as a prayer book  
Sweet as an apple, on Christmas day  
I said good gracious, can this be my luck  
If that's my prayer book  
Lord let us pray_

_Well I'm standing on the corner of Lafayette  
State of Louisi-ann  
Wondering what a city boy could do  
To get her in a conversation  
Drink a little red wine  
Dance to the music of Clifton Chenier  
The King of the Bayou_

The floor filled up, but everyone gave Ron and Hermione a wide berth. The two were dancing like Fred and Angelina at the famous Yule Ball eight years back.

Wesley launched into the last verse.

_"Well, that was your mother  
And that was your father  
Before you was born, dude  
When life was great  
You are the burden of my generation  
I sure do love you  
Let's get that straight_

_Well I'm standing on the corner of Lafayette  
Across the street from The Public  
Heading down to the Lone Star Café  
Maybe get a little conversation  
Drink a little red wine  
Standing in the shadow of Clifton Chenier  
Dancing the night away_

Draco finished with a heavy beat on drum and cymbals. Accordion and saxophone joined in for the coda, and the music ended with a flourish. The room stopped and gave the band an ovation. Even Ginny struggled out of her seat, with the help of Harry and a cane, to cheer her nephew.

Fred, George and Neville bowed low. Wesley nodded at the applause. He caught Ron and Hermione's eye, and waved. A sad smile touched his lips.


	2. Chapter One: Two Years Later

Chapter One: Two Years Later 

"So, to conclude, I'd like to thank Miss Crump for providing several live safety demonstrations for us all," Wesley nodded to young girl squirming in her seat in class. "I'm glad you were able to get out of the infirmary so quickly. The rest of you now know what not to do. You have your notes; be sure to study them, and I'm sure you will pass your examinations with little problem. Dismissed!"

The class of first year Gryffindors and Slytherins filed out quietly under Wesley's watchful eye. When the last one departed, he allowed himself a smile.

Then he set to work, cleaning the potions off his desk and storing the flasks and bottles in their assigned spaces in the locked cabinet. Returning to the classroom, he sat behind his desk, sorting and marking parchments.

The click of a cane invaded his thoughts, and he looked towards the classroom door. He frowned. Too late to lock the door and pretend to be out. Charming the door closed wouldn't stop her, and would tell her that he was here. He sighed, and stood up.

Ginny pushed open the door, leaning heavily on her cane.

"Aunt Ginny!" Wesley exclaimed.

She smiled at him. "Hello, Wesley."

"What brings you to New Hogwarts?"

Ginny's cane clicked as she eased herself down the stairs between the desks. She grimaced with every step. "Why shouldn't I be here?"

Wesley darted up and, ignoring her first attempts to bat him away, helped her manage the remaining steps. He pulled over a chair and Ginny eased herself in.

"Well," he said after a pause, "there's no reason for you to be here. After all, your nephew, Artie, is three years too young for Hogwarts, and there are no other Weasleys in this institution, either teaching or being taught. Ron's at the Ministry while Hermione's at the Auror Academy. Harry's with you, at the Ministry, ergo, you've come to see me."

"I could be visiting McGonagall." Ginny eased herself into the chair.

"Whom you haven't seen since you left."

"Very well," said Ginny. "So, I don't have an excuse to be here. I came here to see you, and I think you know why."

Wesley stared at her for a long moment. He sat down heavily. "Snape talked to you, did he? I knew I shouldn't have said anything."

"He mentioned that you approached him about the possibility of taking his Potions class back," she replied. "As he's only just taken over Defense Against Dark Arts, his life's dream, he's not interested in going back, but that's not the point. He finds your behaviour most odd. He called you the best Potions Master Hogwarts ever had, and now you suggest that you're resigning?" 

"I like to keep my options open. This job isn't a natural fit for me."

"Your students disagree."

"What do students know?"

"Parvati talked to us."

"Ah."

There was a long pause. Then Wesley said, "How is she?"

"A wreck. She called me in tears, said that you wouldn't return her Owls, and that you haven't spoken to her for a month. How could you treat her this way? She loves you."

Wesley looked away.

"Anyway, that was only the first sign we saw that something was wrong, although it was hard not to notice. Then when Snape called us about you, we started to worry, and did some investigating. Would you like to know what we've found?"

Wesley kept a mutinous silence.

"Through Ron's job at the ministry, we discovered that you're closing your lease on your flat. Investigations with your landlord reveal that you're putting all your possessions in storage. Finally, this morning, I receive an owl from Charlie saying that you've contacted him about a job in Romania."

"The traitorous scumbag!" Wesley muttered. "I specifically swore him to secrecy."

"Why are you looking for a job in Romania, Wesley?"

"I've never been to Romania. I'm curious. Dragon wrangling sounds like fun-"

"Why now?"

Wesley sat silent.

Ginny leaned on the desk and fixed him with Molly's best glare. Wesley could feel it even though he wasn't looking. He drew a shaky breath, but said nothing.

"Parvati is crying her eyes out," Ginny intoned. "Hermione went into labour yesterday and is very disappointed that you're not around. You don't answer Harry's Owls. You owe a lot of people an explanation. Why are you leaving England and not telling anyone?"

"I have to."

"Why?"

"You won't understand."

"Try me!"

Wesley thumped his desk. "Don't you have things you hate explaining?"

"Yes, but it doesn't stop me from telling people what they need to know."

"Oh, really?" he snarled. "Then perhaps you could tell me what happened the night the Death Eaters attacked the Burrow?"

Ginny's eyes flashed. Her mouth was a narrow line. "You know I haven't talked to anyone about that."

"Well, now you know how I feel about this."

But Ginny didn't back down. "Fine!" she said. "You want to make an exchange? My difficult explanation for yours? If it will make you talk, here's what I remember:"

***

_"You remember the evening. We had all gathered at the Burrow for Christmas, but you were off at Diagon Alley doing Christmas shopping, and Harry was at Gringots. I had finally managed to get out of the kitchen and from under my mother's thumb when I met Ron on his way back from the Quidditch Pitch._

"Hi, Ginny!" said Ron. "What are you doing out?"

"Oh, God, Ron," said Ginny. "I finally have a chance to breathe. It's a madhouse back there!"

Ron chuckled. "Well, think how Penelope feels. At least you're used to living with a horde of brothers."

Ginny frowned. "What are you saying?"

"She's an only child, beset by in-laws, and in her condition..."

Ginny sighed. "I guess I should have invited her out for a walk. But I needed the time alone. I swear to you, Ron, when I get married, I'm having just one child. Maybe two."

Ron stared at her.

"Okay! Three! But that's all!"

"Hey, ho, you two!" Bill ran up to them. "Brisk afternoon isn't it?"

Ginny fumed. "Do all the Weasley siblings have to take their constitutional at the same time?"

"What's wrong?" Bill gave his sister a quick squeeze. "Aren't you feeling the Christmas love?" He laughed at Ginny's glare.

As Ginny started to protest, Ron stepped away, frowning at the horizon. "Um... Ginny?"

"What?"

"This path does head east away from the Burrow, doesn't it?"

"Of course it does! Why?"

"Isn't it too late for a sunrise?"

Ginny and Bill stepped up beside Ron. They cast a glance behind them at the Burrow to be sure of their direction, but they weren't mistaken. The darkening sky was overcast, but the eastern horizon was glowing orange. The light reflected off of the cloudbase, turning the sky into a sea of fire.

Ginny pulled out her wand. "There's magic at work, here."

Bill peered into the distance. "Something's moving. Some kind of cloud. It's shaped like a --" He recognized the symbol and paled. "Death Eaters! Back to the Burrow!"

Then came a sound like thunder. A wave of pale light swept over the ground. 

"Look out!" Ginny and Bill brought up their wands to protect them. Ron didn't have time. The spell caught him full in the chest. He gasped and pitched back, landing heavily on the ground, unconscious.

"Ron!" Ginny screamed.

Shouts erupted from the house. Ginny could see the Weasley family on the back lawn, staring in horror.

"Ron!" Another scream. Hermione dashed from the crowd and knelt by the fallen boy.

Bill knelt beside her, checking Ron's pulse. He looked up at his family. "Mum, get Percy and Penelope out of here now, do you hear me? Now!"

Molly grabbed Percy and Penelope and hauled them indoors. Arthur and the rest of the siblings ran forward.

Arthur knelt by Ron. "He's out cold. Ginny, get him inside--"

Molly ran out of the house. "Arthur! The Floo Network isn't working!"

"Penelope can't Apparate in her condition!" Ginny gasped.

"Bill, countercurse the fireplace!" shouted Arthur. He pulled out his wand. "Get the Floo Network working!"

"How?" his son cried.

Swearing under his breath, Arthur turned towards his home. "Stay here and hold them off!" he shouted.

Ginny squared her shoulders and stepped towards the distant line of Death Eaters.

"He means me, not you!" Bill yelled. "Get Ron back to the Burrow!" Hermione was struggling to lift Ron to his feet, but he was a deadweight in her arms.

There was another flash, ripping across the landscape like a wave of thunder. Ginny brought up her wand. "_Expelliramus!_"

She shouldered herself into the spell. It broke over her and held her, straining to reach the Burrow.

Bill stared in horror.

"Don't just stand there!" she gasped through gritted teeth.

Bill fired a countercurse. The spell shattered and dissipated with the winds. Gasping, Ginny turned towards the spellmakers, her mouth set, her feet planted.

"Ginny-" Bill began.

A spell came at them. Bill fired back with his wand. He shouted at his stunned brothers. "Charlie? Fred? George? We could use some help, here!"

Ginny stalked forward. The line of Death Eaters was visible now. There were ten of them, cloaked, their wands raised.

"Ginny, wait!"

"_Crucio!_" Ginny shouted.

Three of the Death Eaters crumpled, clawing at the air in agony. Ginny held her wand out, keeping the spell on, not bothering to defend herself.

Fred and George ran forward, wands ready. Charlie's curse made one of the Death Eaters stumble and fall.

More spells sang over their heads. Hermione shielded Ron with her body as they passed overhead, hitting the side of the house. The wood and brick shuddered, but stood firm.

"Somebody, help Hermione get Ron out of here!" Bill shouted.

Another spell broke over them. Even with all wands raised, they staggered in the onslaught. The Death Eaters continued their steady advance.

"We can't hold out for long," gasped George.

Ron shifted and groaned. "What happened? Ginny?"

Ginny turned, and the spell caught her in the back. The air flashed red around her. She screamed as it sent her head-over-heels. She landed on her back and kept on screaming.

"No!" Bill shouted something unspeakable, and another Death Eater fell.

Arthur came running out of the house. "I've got the Floo Network working! Percy and Penelope are safe!" He stopped short at the sight of Ginny. "Oh, my God!"

More spells soared overhead to strike the Burrow broadside.

Ginny clawed at the air, grabbing at her leg and screaming incoherently. Arthur pointed his wand at her and muttered a spell. Ginny's struggles ceased and she lay in a daze.

Arthur looked up at the line of Death Eaters. "We can't stay here. We've got to get out."

"Is the Floo Network still working?" Bill shouted. "Ginny can't Apparate in her state."

"Yes," said Arthur. "All of you, back to the Burrow, before it's too late!"

Another spell hit the magicked, ramshackle house. The charms holding the home together began to break. A rooftop extension broke free of its flimsy moorings and crumpled to the ground. The children stared in horror.

"Go!" Arthur shouted. "Get everyone through the Floo Network now!"

With a surge of adrenaline, Hermione hauled Ron to his feet and dragged him towards the home. George scooped up Ginny and he and the rest of the Weasley brothers followed.

Arthur turned towards the Death Eaters, his wand ready. "Okay, you fiends," he muttered. "Let's see you get through this!"

He shouted at the sky. The ground flared white in a circle around his home. Incoming spells bounced harmlessly away.

Behind him, another bedroom broke away and crashed to the ground in splinters.

Arthur turned and ran.

Inside, the house groaned like a mine before a cave-in. The walls trembled visibly. The fireplace glowed green. Bill and George stood beside the opening, Ginny in George's arms.

"Did you get everybody out?" Arthur shouted.

Bill nodded. "Mom wouldn't go, but we shoved her through."

The house snapped. Plaster fell from the ceiling.

"Good lad," said Arthur. "Now you, George. Take Ginny!"

George nodded, white-faced, and dove into the flames. He vanished with Ginny.

Cracks appeared in the wall with the sound of splitting wood.

"Come on, Dad!" Bill yelled.

"You go first," shouted Arthur. "I'll follow!" He shoved his eldest son into the flames.

A beam burst through the ceiling and punched through the floor. Plaster chips fell like snow.

Arthur gave one last look around before diving into the fireplace.

The house gave one more shudder before collapsing entirely.


	3. Chapter Two: The Nightmare Begins

Chapter Two: The Nightmare Begins 

Wesley set a glass down before Ginny and poured out a brownish, translucent liquid into the cup. Ginny curled into herself on her chair, shivering. She stared suspiciously at the glass.

"What is that?" she asked. "Butterbeer?"

"We need something stronger, I think." Wesley poured himself a glass and set the decanter aside. "Butter-scotch." He sipped. "I shouldn't have done that to you. That was very cruel."

"I haven't told anybody what happened," said Ginny. She sipped her glass, grimaced, and straightened out. "Not even Harry, though I still have nightmares about it. I hate the look on his face whenever I wake up screaming. Maybe it'll do me some good to have talked about this, finally. Especially if you tell me what you find so difficult to say."

Wesley stared at her. He drained his glass and poured himself another. Then he sat across from her and stared at the liquid. "It has to do with how we won the war," he said at last. "What do you remember of it?"

"I was in a coma, remember?" Her glare softened. "And nobody will give me the full story. I don't think anybody understands fully what happened. Harry's been bombarded by the press, but he only saw a small fraction of the fighting in those last minutes."

"I pity Harry his profile," said Wesley. "I know what happened, but nobody asked me."

Ginny leaned on the desk. "Tell me what happened, Wesley. Please?"

Wesley took another sip from his glass. "The war started the next day."

***

_"I Apparated to St. Mungos as soon as I heard the Burrow had been attacked. I'm afraid I was in quite a state. It reminded me too much of a similar night, five years beforehand, that didn't happen. Fortunately, Ron and Hermione were all right. Harry, however... He was worse than me."_

Ginny lay still in the hospital bed, her face purple and pale. Molly wrung her hands as Arthur held her. Harry stood by the door, his hands at his side, staring.

Hermione stared, herself pale, but her jaw set. Ron squeezed her hand. "We'll she be all right?" She clipped her words short, as though they might betray her to tears.

The nurse checked Ginny's pulse. "With luck. She has that, though. Few would have survived the beating she took. She's strong inside, and that should pull her through. She'll have to learn how to walk again."

Molly moaned. Arthur stared. "Why? Surely you can repair the damage?"

"Most of it. But her legs are the worst off. The best of our restorative charms and potions can't totally fix the worst curses of the Death Eaters. She's lost the use of her legs. She may have to have one amputated. If she pulls through, she'll have to use a cane for the rest of her life."

"She saved us," Molly gasped. "She saved us all!"

There was a clatter of feet in the corridor. Wesley burst in, his bag of purchases dangling from his hand. "Is everybody all right? What happened? Mum!" At the first sight of Hermione, he dropped everything and enveloped her in a tremendous hug. "I thought I'd--" Then he saw Ginny. "Oh, my God."

"She's alive," said Ron. "She helped fight off the Death Eaters."

"Will she be okay?" asked Wesley.

The nurse gave him a sympathetic look that made his blood turn cold. Ron's voice was like stone. "She'll pull through. I know she will. She has to."

Wesley covered his face in his hands. "Oh, God-I'm so sorry I wasn't there. I could have helped-"

Arthur laid a hand on his shoulder. "You did all you could, Wesley. We all did."

Harry turned away and punched open the door. He strode out into the corridor.

Hermione looked up. "Harry?"

Wesley ran out after him.

***

"Harry! Wait!" Wesley had to run to catch up to him. "What are you doing?"

"I should have been there," Harry muttered. "I should helped!"

"Don't blame yourself!" Wesley puffed to keep up. "Granddad's right, we all did everything we could. Nobody expected that attack. Everybody got out alive!"

"Ginny didn't get out unhurt!" Harry yelled. "She sacrificed herself for her family. That should be me in that hospital bed, not her!"

"Well, it's not!" Wesley tried to grab his arm, but Harry shook him off. "You've got to accept that."

"Oh, I'll do more than that," Harry grumbled. "I'll make Voldemort pay for what he's done. He's caused enough suffering and chaos. I'll make him sorry he was ever born!"

Wesley stopped in his tracks, staring in disbelief. Then he ran after him again. "Harry, you're not thinking straight."

"I don't care!"

"Harry!" Wesley quickened his pace and darted between Harry and the door to the stairwell. "I won't let you do this!"

"Get out of my way!" Harry tried to push him aside, but Wesley planted himself in the way.

"What are you going to do? Hunt down Voldemort by yourself? How are you going to do that? Search for his Dark Tower?"

"I have this!" Harry slapped his scar. "I can seek him out!"

"Oh, brilliant: divine him out through debilitating pain, that's a good strategy!"

"I have to do something!" Harry tried to dodge around the other way.

"I agree!" Wesley blocked him. "But something other than throwing your life away!"

"Wesley, get. Out. Of. My! WAY!" Harry's voice deepened, and all the light was sucked from the room. He radiated energy, towering over Wesley and making the boy look very, very small.

Wesley took a deep breath. "No." He closed his eyes.

The air rushed around them. Then, suddenly, "Harry, stop!"

Hermione rushed between them, shoving the two apart, and breaking the power like a ground. "Get a hold of yourself! Wesley's right, you can't face Voldemort alone!"

Harry backed into a wall. His breaths came in short, sharp gasps. "I can't just stand here. I'm sick of being afraid. I'm sick of waiting for Voldemort to attack! I'm sick of it all!"

"I understand."

The soft voice made everyone stop. Harry looked up to see Dumbledore step from the stairwell. "How long have you been listening?"

"Long enough to come to a decision," said the Headmaster. "You're right, Mr. Potter. We have cowered long enough while Voldemort rebuilt his army. We should cower no more" He stepped around Wesley, making for the hospital room where Ginny lay. As he passed, he paused and patted Harry's shoulder. "But if you will wait but a few days more, I will give you something to channel your anger. Everyone's anger. Be patient for me?"

Harry, Wesley and Hermione stared after him a moment before following him back to Ginny's room.

***

_"Dumbledore paid a quick visit to Ginny. He gave the nurses some of my advanced spells to use. I'd forgotten about them in all the rush, I'm ashamed to say. They helped, but only a little. By that time, the wizarding world had caught up to a lot of what I knew. Then Dumbledore left, taking granddad--your father with him."_

_"Where did he go?"_

_"He didn't tell us, but I guessed later that it was to the Ministry. St. Mungos started to fill up rapidly after that. The attack on the Burrow wasn't the only one that happened that night. St. Mungos received two hundred casualties in the next three hours. Hermione and I were conscripted into tending to the wounded. Ron wanted to help, but somebody had to stay to look after you... and your mother. So, Hermione and I got to work. The injuries we saw..." He shuddered. "And those were just the ones that lived. The Death Eaters were making their move._

_"Later that night, Corneleus Fudge addressed us through WWN."_

"To all loyal wizards living on the British Isles." Fudge's voice cracked as he read his prepared statement. "It grieves me to tell you that the followers of the Dark Lord Voldemort have, this night, seen fit to attack hundreds of Wizarding households, killing and plundering indiscriminately. It is clear, from the severity of the attack, that the Wizarding world faces an armed insurrection by the followers of Voldemort and that no wizard that loves peace and tolerance is safe while this violence lasts.

"I hereby announce that, as of this moment, a state of war exists between the supporters of peace and justice and the Dark Lord's Death Eater hordes. All wizards who wish to preserve the safety of their loved ones, are asked to come to one of several safe havens that the Ministry is setting up this night. These havens are heavily guarded by our Aurors. There, all Wizards will be given Veritaserum to prove their loyalty. Those that pass may volunteer to join the forces we are building to face down the threat of Voldemort. The location of these havens will be given out at the end of this broadcast.

"With the help of Albus Dumbledore and his associates, the Ministry of Magic is performing a thorough check of our people, ensuring the loyalty of all our members. Key supporters of the Dark Lord have already been identified and removed from their positions of authority. Aurors are, even now, moving to arrest these traitors.

"Albus Dumbledore has convinced me that we must not cower under this onslaught. We may love peace, but we will not be docile. Fear is understandable, but cowardice is not. We will face the Dark Lord and his minions. We will guard our families and fight to keep our freedom. We will pursue this struggle relentlessly, even to the death.

"May the coming days bring a true and lasting peace to the wizards of the Great Britain. But whatever the outcome, we will be firm in our resolve."

Ron looked across the cafeteria table at Wesley. "This is it. We're at war."

Wesley lowered his head to the table. "Yes, we are. Let's hope it goes better, this time."


	4. Chapter Three: Preparations

**Chapter Three: Preparations**

Days later, in Hogwarts' Great Hall, Harry Potter stepped to the podium usually reserved for Dumbledore and the other professors. The crowd of students at all four tables was smaller now, but Harry looked like a drop isolated from a sea of humanity. He felt all eyes on him, and he swallowed hard. Silence lengthened in the room. 

"I don't know what I'm doing here," he said at last. "I never asked to be a wizard, or the Boy Who Lived. I am just trying to do the best I can, and I'm just as frightened as each and every one of you."

The crowd shifted uncomfortably.

"All I ever wanted was a normal life," Harry continued. "To grow up with friends. To learn spells and maybe teach at Hogwarts someday. I've had some of that thanks to you." He nodded quickly at Hermione and Ron, who gave him encouraging smiles. "But these past seven years have been far from normal, for any of us. Over these years we've lost Cedric Diggory, Professor Flitwick, even Argus Filch. The world just shakes under our feet from forces much bigger than we are."

Wesley looked at the floor sadly.

Then Harry drew himself up. "But a few days ago, when I saw Ginny Weasley lying in a coma at St. Mungos, I realized I wanted more than a normal life. I wanted the ability to choose a normal life. I wanted to be free. Voldemort-"

A gasp shook the crowd. Harry glared.

"Voldemort-" he started again.

The gasp shook the crowd again.

"Voldemort is just an name!" Harry shouted, thumping the podium so hard that everyone jumped. Silence echoed through the Great Hall.

Harry took a deep breath. "Voldemort is just a wizard. A powerful wizard, but one who has given me a simple choice: either to stand up and fight, risking freedom or death, or cower before him and live in fear under his thumb. He would tell you that there is only one choice: to cower; that death is not an option. He's wrong. I know my choice, and if it's death, let me die fighting. I'm staying at Hogwarts to face the Dark Lord. Are you with me?"

"Yes!" said a handful of students, including Ron, Hermione and Wesley immediately. The word carried through the crowd like ripples on a pond.

"Are you with me!" Harry thundered.

"YES!"

***

_Wesley took another sip from his glass; he'd switched to water by now, while Ginny nursed her first glass of scotch. _

_He took a deep breath. "The war was, of course, completely different from the alternate future I'd come from. In my timeline, Ron and Hermione were years older when the war started. Voldemort had a twisted Harry Potter as his lieutenant. There had been no gradual build-up of Death Eater activity. It had taken us by surprise._

_"But here, the surprise was the same. Even though Voldemort was at the back of our minds all the time, and even though we'd seen his forces building, we were in shock. War? How could it happen to us? I guess war always comes as a surprise. Harry mobilized us. Fudge was smart enough to play Harry's speech on WWN. Recruitment doubled overnight. If the Boy Who Lived was fighting, then so would they."_

_"Then Dumbledore and Fudge set up the defence forces," said Ginny._

_"Yeah. Many wizard families were evacuated to the safe havens, especially muggle parents. But Hogwarts wasn't one of those havens. The year was cancelled, and all the students sent back to their families. A large force of Aurors arrived, and began stockpiling weapons. The seventh years were given the option of returning home, or volunteering for this special force. Given Harry's speech, three quarters of the students remained, and most of their parents didn't complain, much. The Houses were suspended, although various duties were dominated by various houses, and the dorms divided between boys and girls. Battlements went up the next day; I didn't see them rising. Hogwarts was to be used not as a safe haven, but a fort, to face the brunt of Voldemort's attack…"_

"Even the Dursleys?" asked Harry in disbelief. He, Dumbledore and Wesley were walking down one of the corridors of Hogwarts towards the Great Hall.

Dumbledore nodded. "Vernon, Petunia and Dudley arrived in the Cornwall encampment today."

Harry shook his head. "I never thought I'd say this, but poor Uncle Vernon, surrounded by all those wizarding parents. But why them? Surely Voldemort wouldn't go after them."

"They may be poor guardians, but they're still _your_ guardians. Muggle guardians, no less. That makes them a tempting target."

"What if we got word to Voldemort how badly they treated me? That might keep the Death Eaters from their door."

"Pass that message along, and you'll let Voldemort know how much you really care for this family, and they'll be certain to attack. This way is best. Although I agree: poor Uncle Vernon."

They turned a corner and entered the Great Hall. It had been transformed, with most of the tables removed. Crates were stacked in the spaces that had been opened up, and some were still being delivered. Hermione, Draco and McGonagall supervised the delivery.

Hermione turned and headed over to Dumbledore while Professor McGonagall and Draco Malfoy remained to sign the paperwork.

"Has everything arrived, Miss Granger?" asked Dumbledore.

"Most everything," said Hermione. "Two hundred quivers and ten thousand arrows. Each arrow is made with a shaft of rowan, and has a silver-coated iron tip."

Wesley picked up one of the arrows, and whistled. "There's not a charm that can stop these. It will certainly give the Death Eaters heartburn."

"Professor McGonagall is handling a large delivery of potions. She's concerned, though, about handling them without Professor Snape around. She wants your help, Wesley."

"I'm on it." Wesley departed the group.

"We also have most of the ingredients for anti-charm boiling oil," Hermione continued. "The rest will be delivered tonight, I hope."

Harry grimaced. "We're cutting things fine. Voldemort could attack any day now, and we don't have all the weapons we need."

"By tonight, we'll have enough to hold off an army of a thousand Death Eaters," said Hermione.

"That's good," said Dumbledore. "Let's hope that's enough."

"How's the evacuation going?" asked Hermione.

"Everybody up to and including the sixth years have just left on the Hogwarts Express," said Harry. "There were two Auror guards to every coach. It was eerie how quiet the platform was."

"So, how many are left in Hogwarts?" asked Hermione.

"Including seventh years, professors and Aurors, two hundred and fifty," Dumbledore replied. "We may gain a few more Aurors if Cornelius can spare them. We may lose a few more seventh years if they want to be sensible and go home." Here, he looked pointedly at Hermione.

Hermione stared back.

"Are you sure you want to stay, Miss Granger?" he asked.

"I'm almost eighteen! I can make my own choices!"

"I know that. But you haven't answered my question."

The door to the Great Hall opened and Ron entered, supervising the delivery of another crate of rowanwood arrows. The hardness of Hermione's expression vanished entirely as she watched him. She turned back to Dumbledore and squared her shoulders. "Yes. I'm sure. Everybody here is sure."

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "Carry on, Miss Granger."

The Great Hall buzzed with activity as Dumbledore and Harry toured the room, checking crates of potions and wands.

Then a wind blew through the Great Hall.

Everyone recognized the signature of a spell and stopped what they were doing. They looked around nervously for the source of the disturbance. They found it in the centre of the Great Hall.

A globe of shimmering light flickered into existence, and back out again. It struggled to form, hissing with electricity.

Dumbledore stepped forward, and the students and some Aurors gathered close behind him.

"Somebody's trying to come through," said Harry.

"You can't Apparate onto Hogwarts grounds!" Hermione exclaimed.

"It's not a matter of 'you can't'," said Dumbledore. "It's a matter of 'you shouldn't try'."

The globe of light flared brightly, and three figures fell out of the shimmering air and lay on the floor in a daze. Wesley ran forward. "It's Colin! Ernie and Justin!"

"They've been missing for a month!" Ron knelt by Colin, checking beneath both eyelids for injury. "I thought they'd been taken by You Know Who!"

"I think they were." Wesley looked up at the shimmering air. "And I think that's Snape!"

"He's going to splinch!"

McGonagall ran forward raising her wand and trying to stabilize the dying field with charms. "Help me," she muttered, and Hermione raised her wand and muttered a stabilizing spell.

Draco shouldered his way through the crowd, his wand ready. He added his spell to the lot, but it was too little, too late.

The field broke. Snape fell out of it. Harry stared in horror. Hermione gave a gasp. Ron and Wesley both winced and looked away.

Dumbledore shouted to the room. "Summon Madame Pomfrey, immediately!"

Snape raised a gnarled hand, gasping for air.

"Easy, Severus" said McGonagall, kneeling by him. "Save your strength."

"Had to get them free," Snape gasped. "They were to be executed tomorrow. Had to warn you-"

"Not now!"

"Minerva, please-"

"Tell us in the Infirmary!" McGonagall snapped. She touched his forehead and Snape faded out of consciousness.

***

Harry leaned against the wall outside the Infirmary where he and others had been banned. He shivered at the memory of Snape's broken form.

"I can't believe it," said Ron. "Snape, escaping from You Know Who and fighting Hogwarts own charms in order to rescue three students? I know he was a double agent, but I didn't think he was such a hero."

"There will be a lot of unexpected heroes made before this month is out," muttered Wesley.

"Why did he risk so much?" asked Hermione.

"He said Voldemort was going to execute his prisoners," said Harry, "Including Colin, Ernie and Justin. If so, he had no choice but to blow his cover. I thought he hated me-"

"He does," said Draco, passing them in the hall.

"-But he's taken incredible risks for me before," Harry finished. "And if he can do that for me, then why not three students with no family history?"

"It might be bigger than that," said Wesley. "He can probably free prisoners from Voldemort without blowing his cover. Unless he couldn't stay, or unless there was no longer any advantage to his staying, I can't see him Apparating to Hogwarts."

Hermione looked up. "Meaning there was no more intelligence to gather?"

Ron shuddered. "Whatever You Know Who has planned, it's ready."

They perked up as Dumbledore emerged from the Infirmary. 

"Is Professor Snape going to be all right, sir?" asked Harry.

Dumbledore paused, then nodded. "With a lot of attention, yes."

Wesley stared at him. "You don't look happy, sir."

"I am happy, for him," said Dumbledore. "But he did not give me good news, if that's what you're asking."

"What did he say?" asked Ron.

"According to Severus' report, Voldemort has four thousand Death Eaters massing to the north of us."

Hermione blanched. "They outnumber us sixteen to one."

"And," said Dumbledore, "they're going to attack in the morning."

He walked down the corridor, leaving the others staring.


	5. Chapter Four: At the Battlements

**Chapter Four: At the Battlements**

_"Dumbledore, McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey all counselled us to get some rest, but of course, nobody was going to sleep on what could be the last night of their lives. I certainly wasn't going to. I knew it long beforehand, and that's why I volunteered to act as night watchman."_

Wesley strode along the Hogwarts Battlements, his staff tucked under one arm, blowing on his hands. His breath fogged on the still air.

He heard the scuff of stone behind him and whirled around. He relaxed when he recognized the silhouette of Dumbledore. "Sir! You gave me a fright."

"I'm sorry." Dumbledore touched the ground with his staff.

Wesley felt a surge of power in the air around them, and he stumbled back. "Sir! You're carrying your staff!"

Dumbledore looked at his staff as though noticing it for the first time. "So I am. I haven't held my staff for-"

"Three years," Wesley finished. "Not since that night when I first showed you your own staff from the future. Sir, you know how dangerous it is for us to be carrying the same staff at the same time."

"Yes, Wesley. But we'll be fine so long as our two staffs don't touch. Cold night?"

Wesley shivered. "Yeah."

"Why are you out here? You should be warm in bed."

"If it's a choice between staring at the ceiling or staring at the stars, I'm going with the stars, sir."

"I understand. Good night. I expect you'll be meeting others on this battlement before dawn."

He walked around Wesley, giving the boy a wide berth. The charge in the air rose and fell as the two staffs approached, then drew further apart. Wesley stared after his godfather. Then he leaned against the battlement and blew on his hands.

A noise caught his attention and he whirled around. "Halt! Who goes there!"

"It's me."

"Lumos!" Wesley blinked to see Ron in the circle of Seelie light. "Ron! What are you doing out?"

"Well," Ron huffed. "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd stretch my legs. Look around a little."

Wesley's eyes narrowed. "You're heading back from the girls' dormitory, aren't you?"

Ron's cheeks went as red as his hair. "Well, you see, I thought I'd check in with Hermione, and-"

"Nope!" Wesley shot up his hand. "No details. Not one word. Off to bed with you."

Ron turned around.

"The _boys'_ dormitory, idiot." He shook his head. "Honestly!"

Smirking, Ron gave Wesley a wide berth and hurried on his way.

Despite himself, Wesley chuckled. "Congratulations," he added over his shoulder.

"Thanks," Ron shot back.

Wesley paced the battlements again. He puffed on his hands and tried not to shiver. The light breeze tugged at his cloak.

He whirled around. "Halt! Who goes there!"

"It's me," came a high voice.

Wesley raised his staff. He blinked. "Lavender?! What are you doing out?"

"Well…" Lavender scuffed the stone walkway with her toe. "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd stretch my legs. Look around a little."

Wesley looked over her shoulder. "Boy's dormitory, right?"

Lavender blushed.

"Seamus better know how lucky he is," said Wesley. "Now, off with you, back to your dormitory!"

Lavender scurried around him.

Wesley paced the battlements again, puffing on his hands. The moon scudded in and out of clouds.

Then he whirled around. "Who goes-" He peered into the gloom. "Fred?"

"No, it's George."

"Where's Fred?"

"Hi George!" Fred stood behind Wesley. "Fancy meeting you out here tonight."

"Well, I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd stretch my legs," said George. "Just coming back to bed, now."

"Same here," said Fred. "I'm just heading out."

"That's it!" said Wesley. "You two, to bed, right now, before I send McGonagall after you. Go on, get!" He stopped short at Fred's sad look. "All right, you can pass, but find another way back. George, back to the Boys' Dormitory, now."

Their footfalls crunched in opposite directions.

Wesley sighed. "Why the hell did I volunteer for night watchman duty?"

"I've been wondering that myself."

Wesley almost jumped out of his skin. He clutched the battlement, and his heart, and slipped to the walkway. "Parvati? Bloody hell, is nobody sleeping tonight?"

The girl was standing there, smirking. "Nope. I thought I'd keep you company."

Wesley frowned at the spark in her eye. "Are you sure about this?"

"Of course I'm sure." She slipped down beside him. "Four eyes are better than two."

"Not if they're distracted, they're not."

Her gaze grew serious. "Don't worry. I think we both know the attack won't come until morning. Watching the battlements is only a formality; it gives people who can't sleep something productive to do. A pity. I can think of many other ways I'd want to spend my last night."

"This is not our last night," said Wesley.

"How do you know? You changed history, remember?"

Wesley took a deep breath. "We are going to get out of this."

"Maybe," said Parvati. "But someone said that we should live every day as if it was our last. Only now do I understand what that someone meant. There are some things I want to do before I go." She raised a bundle she'd held under one arm. "Harry leant me his Invisibility Cloak."

She gave him a look that dried his throat. He coughed. "When did you get so serious?"

"When the world changed." She put her hand to the back of his neck and drew him into a long kiss. Wesley let his staff clatter to the walkway.

***

Later, Wesley and Parvati walked along the battlement, arm in arm, keeping an eye on the horizon as the sky brightened. They smiled and nodded as they passed Draco, strolling the other way.

"Hello, Draco."

Draco stopped. It was Harry's voice, but he couldn't see Harry in the dusk.

Then there was the scuffing of shoes against stone, and the silhouette of Harry pulled himself into view.

Draco frowned. "You're not on night duty."

"Neither are you."

"Couldn't sleep."

"Neither could I. Butterbeer?" Harry offered a bottle.

"Should you be drinking before battle?"

Harry sighed. "People thinking about going to war should get good and drunk beforehand, in my opinion. Maybe then we'd have world peace. But I'm not drunk. I'm only having one bottle. You want a few sips?"

Draco took the offered bottle and swigged it. Passing it back, he leaned against the battlement next to Harry. The two stared back at Hogwarts in silence.

Finally, Harry said, "why are you here, Draco?"

Draco looked at him.

"It's not that I mind," Harry continued. "We can use all the help we can get. But… forgive me for saying this, but I didn't think you'd turn your back on Voldemort. No offense."

"None taken." Draco stared ahead in thought. Finally, he said, "Blame Wesley. You remember how he knocked the potion out of my hand, going up against Snape to keep me from overdosing on Mandrake?"

"Yes. I couldn't believe it. Defying Snape to save you?"

"I couldn't believe it, either. The blond half-Mudblood-" He coughed. "-I mean, half-Muggle Weasley intrigued me. Why should he show such compassion to me, of all people? So, I did what any self-respecting bully would do: I picked on him. And he didn't back down. It infuriated me to the point where I challenged him to a duel."

"I remember," said Harry. "You should have seen your face when you told Wesley to pick his contest, and he chose exploding snap."

"Turning a respectable duel into an inter-house snap contest. The nerve of the man." Draco shook his head. "But while we were playing, Wesley talked to me. Just kept talking. And winning even with all his words. I was ready to kill him. But one thing he said in particular caught in my mind. I told him I intended to be famous; that everybody would know my name. And he said to me: 'what name would you rather be known by? Draco? Or Malfoy?'"

"That led you to turn against your father?" asked Harry.

"Not alone. The night my father was caught, he was participating in a Death Eater ceremony."

"I knew that," said Harry. "It was all over _the Daily Prophet_."

"But what _the Daily Prophet_ doesn't mention is that Voldemort and a lot more Death Eaters were there that night. The ceremony was one to test a Death Eater's loyalty. My father, Crabbe's father and Goyle's father were all there to be tested."

"How?"

"By sacrificing their children by burning them alive."

Harry stared at him.

Draco didn't look at him. He just shuddered at the memory. "The scary thing was that I was actually going to go through with it. Wesley's words were echoing in my head, but I couldn't defy my father, even then. Even as Crabbe put up quite a fight. Even as he and Goyle screamed. Then the Aurors arrived. Everybody cleared out, but my father was trapped. He asked for my help, then. Can you believe it? He was going to burn me alive, and he expected me to let him out of the trap. That's when I walked away and told the Aurors where to find him."

"It took that much to tell you whose side you were on?" said Harry.

"If you had a father like mine, you'd understand."

They passed the bottle and each took a swig.

"Draco," said Harry. "You know there's a good chance that you haven't picked the winning side, don't you?"

Draco stared at him. "I know." He clapped Harry's shoulder. "It doesn't matter."

Over the battlements, the sky grew red.


	6. Chapter Five: The Last Battle

**Chapter Five: The Last Battle **  
  


A crowd gathered around Dumbledore as he stared over the Hogwarts battlements at the reddening sky.

"Hm," said Wesley. "'Red sky at night, sailors' delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take…'"

"It's begun," said Dumbledore. "Battle stations, everyone."

Trumpets sounded. There was a flurry of activity as the Aurors and the seventh years spread out along the battlements, drawing wand and taking up weapon. Harry, Hermione, Wesley and Draco stayed by Dumbledore.

Then the air twisted at the crest of a hill. A sphere of distorted light descended slowly, crossing the field towards Hogwarts.

When it was in the middle of the field, Dumbledore raised his voice. "Halt! Identify yourself!"

The sphere stopped. A cultured voice echoed back to them. "I am a messenger from the Dark Lord. His army is armed and ready. You are hopelessly outnumbered. You can not withstand our assault."

Hermione frowned. "That voice sounds familiar."

"But the Dark Lord is merciful," the voice continued. "Open your gates, surrender yourselves, and take the oath of the Death Eaters, and you will not be harmed!"

A cry went up along the Hogwarts battlements. "Never!" A small smile touched Dumbledore's lips.

"If you will not take the oath of the Death Eaters," the voice continued. "Then surrender yourselves and bring us the Boy Who Lived, dead or alive. Do this, and you will not be harmed!"

Again, the cry went up along the battlements. "Never!"

Harry shook his head. "I'm sure I've heard that voice before."

Draco put an arrow to his quiver and raised it to his eye.

"Do not defy the will of the Dark Lord!" the voice shouted. "He will crush this castle to dust and leave not one living thing alive. Dumbledore, surely you can see that you're defeated. Spare your men and women the suffering. Surrender yourself and bring the Boy Who Lived to us. Do this, and we'll spare Hogwarts and all who live within it."

Wesley leaned over to Dumbledore. "That's Lucius Malfoy, isn't it? What's he doing here? Didn't we capture him?"

Dumbledore took a deep breath. "Two days ago, Azkaban was attacked by Voldemort's forces. A number of the inmates were freed."

Wesley stood silent a minute. "You're telling me that not only are we outnumbered sixteen to one, but among those forces are dozens of escaped convicts?"

Dumbledore gave him a sideways glance, but said nothing.

Wesley stared across the field. "Great. Just great."

"Dumbledore!" Lucius shouted. "What is your answer?"

Draco pulled back on his arrow, and let go. The wood sang through the air, followed by a choked off scream as Lucius fell out of the camouflage charm, the arrow stuck through his throat.

Wesley, Harry and Dumbledore stared at Draco.

Draco stared back. "What? That was our answer, wasn't it?"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "Well, maybe not in so many words… but, yes."

The camouflage charm shifted. Someone else was inside. After hovering momentarily over Lucius, it turned and rolled across the field, back the way it came. 

"Get ready," said Dumbledore.

"Wesley," said Harry. "Remember the strategy: Slytherin arrows on the left, Ravenclaw arrows on the right. You defend the Slytherins from all charms. Hermione, you have the Ravenclaws. Ron, you help the Hufflepuffs with the boiling oil."

"Got it!" Wesley led Draco along the battlements. Harry stayed with Dumbledore as a group of Gryffindors and Aurors came forward, manning their posts in the center. At the base of the battlements, the gate opened, and dozens of Aurors streamed out.

Lightning ripped across the reddened sky, and a drumbeat began. It started slow, catching at the heart like a Taiko drum as it grew faster. The beats echoed off the rolling hills.

Wesley and Draco took their positions in front of a dozen armed Slytherins. Draco raised his hand, and the others put arrows to their quivers. Wesley's knuckles whitened where he held the staff.

The drumbeats rumbled like thunder itself.

"Steady," said Wesley, keeping an eye on Harry and Dumbledore.

Across the battlement, Hermione raised her hand. A group of Ravenclaws raised their arrows.

Dumbledore stood tall, staring across the field. Wesley frowned. He looked unarmed.

Lightning flashed across the sky again. The clouds turned the colour of blood.

From their hiding places, Voldemort's forces roared. Their yells rolled across the fields. The drumbeat intensified until it was four times as loud as before and had the beat of pounding feet. Or maybe it was pounding feet.

The northern horizon blackened with a line of people. Death Eaters rushed forward, wands ready, a wave washing over the space between the hills and Hogwarts.

"Steady," said Wesley again.

The Slytherins held their arrows like statues.

The Auror flank stood ready.

The gap narrowed.

Dumbledore cast up his arms.

"Now!" Wesley yelled.

Two dozen rowan-wood arrows shot at the rush from the left and the right. Another barrage followed seconds later, followed by another. The first line of Death Eaters crumpled, causing ripples in the tsunami of people as those behind trampled over them, tripped and were trampled in turn.

Dark lights flashed in the back of the rush. Wesley brought up his staff. "Watch it," he muttered. "Watch it."

The spell roared towards them. Wesley broke it with a countercurse. More arrows flew.

Then the front line of Aurors fired, with a sound like a thousand discordant electric guitars. The spell ripped out as a semi-circle of light, cutting a gaping hole into the Death Eater rush. 

The Slytherins slackened their attack. Draco stared. "That's does it! After this, I want to be an Auror!"

The Death Eaters continued their advance. The hole closed up.

"Watch out!" Wesley yelled.

Another spell broke over them. Wesley grunted. Those beside him staggered and fell. They picked themselves up quickly, and reloaded their bows.

The Aurors fired another bolt of pure energy. The hole it made in the Death Eater flank was smaller, this time.

McGonagall led a squadron of students to the ramparts. They had slingshots and small bottles filled with red liquid. They loaded up and fired into the sea of Death Eaters. Explosions punctured the ground.

Draco hesitated.

"What is it?" asked Wesley.

"I can't see their front lines anymore. Except for the Auror flank, they're right up against the base of the castle."

The top of a battle-ladder thunked against the battlement.

Pansy Parkinson dropped her quiver and dove forward. The moment her hands touched the wood, however, she screamed, and stared at her smoking palms. Then her gaze hardened and, taking the wood, even as it blackened her skin, she shoved it, hard. The ladder fell back. There was a scream down below.

Another ladder hit the battlement.

Wesley pushed Pansy aside before she went for it. Using his staff, he pitched the ladder back. He shouted back to the castle. "Ron, we need that boiling oil, now!"

Draco ran up to the parapet as another ladder clunked into place. He fired straight down, then kicked the ladder aside.

On the center battlements, the Hufflepuffs ran forward with their first vats of boiling oil. Other deliveries came to the Slytherin and Ravenclaw archers, but still the ladders swung into place.

"They just keep coming!" Pansy yelled.

Draco looked at the sky, and blanched. "Wesley!"

Wesley brought up his staff, barely catching the spell in time. It knocked him flying. He toppled off the rampart and fell a dozen feet, landing heavily on the stone floor below.

He lost time. The next thing he remembered was Draco hauling him to his feet. "Don't pass out on me, Wesley, we need you!"

Though it was hardly possible, the sounds of battle had intensified.

Wesley climbed the ladder back to his position, just in time to see a huge spell fired from the back of the Death Eater rush. It sailed in as a ball of fire, aimed at the center of the Hogwarts barricades. It exploded at the base of the ramparts. Aurors went flying.

The Death Eater rush pressed up against Hogwarts' stone walls. Battle-ladders swung into place across the flank of the school.

"Swords!" Wesley shouted.

The Slytherins cast aside their quivers and drew swords from beneath their robes. On the Ravenclaw tower, they could already hear the clash of metal against metal. 

McGonagall's squadron ran out of exploding potions and switched to stones.

The first Death Eaters mounted the Slytherin tower and met a wall of clashing metal. Wesley knocked two over with a swipe of his staff.

Pansy caught a spell full in the chest and crumpled.

Millicent gasped as a Death Eater ran her through. She fell to her knees.

And still the Death Eaters kept coming. Sounds of swordplay carried across the ramparts.

Then Harry gripped his forehead, and collapsed.

Space bent at the back of the line of Death Eaters. Dumbledore stared as the distortion cleared and Voldemort was revealed, laughing in triumph.

"Harry!" Wesley shouted.

A spell caught Dumbledore and knocked him off his feet.

"Keep fighting!" Draco yelled, slashing a Death Eater off of the ladder.

On her tower, Hermione sent two Death Eaters flying, one by her sword, the other by a curse.

Harry was yelling over the melee, blood seeping from his scar.

"We're running out of ammunition!" somebody shouted. Wesley didn't know who.

Then a voice bellowed through the air.

"Wesley!" Dumbledore shouted. His voice, though amplified, barely carried over the roar of the battle. "Wesley!"

Wesley looked up.

Dumbledore stood at the tallest parapet, an island in a sea of battle. He raised his staff and then held it over his head.

Wesley looked to his own staff, borrowed from Dumbledore in an alternate future, and paled. "Oh, no!"

Draco barely gave him a glance. "What?"

"It's over," Wesley gasped. "Dumbledore knows we've lost. It's come to this."

"What?"

Wesley didn't reply. He let out a yell and pulled himself to his feet. Running along the battlement, he dodged arrow, sword and charm, clutching his staff in his hands.

Dumbledore stood waiting.

Wesley clambered up the parapet, not bothering with the steps. He jumped onto a high stone and leaped at Dumbledore, swinging his staff down to meet the one Dumbledore held high.

"_Apparate Totalus Hogwarts!_" Dumbledore cried.

"No!" Wesley screamed, and disappeared.

The Aurors and the Hogwarts seventh years vanished from the hands of their enemies.

Dumbledore stood.

Wesley's staff clattered down onto his own.

The world flashed white.

***

Hermione woke disoriented. She sat up, clutching her throat. Somebody had been ready to slice it open, hadn't they? The silence was deafening.

Then she became aware of other Hogwarts students sitting up and staring about in confusion. Aurors were on their feet, wondering what had happened. They were surrounded by trees near the top of a hill. Birds fluttered by at top speed.

"What's going on?" said Ron. "Are we dead?"

Harry tried to shake the dizziness out of his head.

Wesley sat bolt upright. He looked around sharply, muttering calculations to himself. Then he said, "Fifty miles. Not far enough." Suddenly he was on his feet and shouting. "We've got to take cover! Now!"

"What?" gasped Hermione.

"Over the ridge!" Wesley pointed. "We have to get over the ridge!"

Then they realized that a second sun was rising in the north.

Hermione squinted, shielding her eyes. She could see a blossom of fire rolling across the fields, uprooting trees before consuming them, outpacing sound.

"The wounded!" she cried. "Get the wounded behind cover! Hurry!"

There was a mad rush to haul those who couldn't rush up the slope. The ground began to shake, and a distant rumble echoed in their chests. They felt the heat of the explosion on their backs. When they reached the top, they heard the distant sound of trees being uprooted.

The ridge dropped sharply after its crest. There were more people here, stumbling about in confusion.

"Down!" Wesley yelled.

Everyone tried to get as small as possible, covering their heads.

Then the roar hit them.

Burning trees soared overhead. Hot dust rained down on them. Even under cover, the wind threatened to sweep them away. Hermione gripped Ron's hand.

Finally, the wind slackened and the roar subsided, replaced by the sound of licking flames, and raining dust.

They waited a few minutes more before they chanced looking around. Finally, they climbed back to the top of the ridge and surveyed the devastation.

"What happened?" gasped Ron.

"Dumbledore blew up Hogwarts," said Wesley. "He sent us away at the last moment, and let the Death Eaters face the brunt of the explosion."

"There is no way Voldemort could have survived that," said Hermione.

Rumours rippled through the crowd.

"Dumbledore did this?"

"Those Death Eaters didn't stand a chance!"

Joy rose like a wave.

"Voldemort is dead! We won!"

Amid the cheering, Wesley stared north. He looked at his empty hands, then back to where Hogwarts used to be. He slumped to the ground and covered his face.

Hermione sat beside him, Ron following more awkwardly. He patted his son's shoulder, while she put her arms around him and held him tight.   


Chapter 6

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	7. Chapter Six: Remembrance

**Chapter Six: Remembrance**   
  


Wesley made a few practice waves with his wand: eleven inches, stained maple, phoenix feather. "Swish and flick. Swish and flick." He pocketed the wand with a twirl of his fingers. "I miss Dumbledore's staff." He stuttered to a halt. "Hell, I miss Dumbledore."

Ginny stared at him, silent.

Wesley opened a drawer and pulled out a yellowed newspaper. The headline blared "Mystery Explosion Rocks Northern Scotland."

"I think Dumbledore had it all planned from the moment he met us at St. Mungo's," he continued. "He knew what touching the two staffs together would do. He stockpiled loads of weaponry into Hogwarts and manned it with the best Aurors and, more importantly, Harry Potter and his friends. Voldemort could see that a strike on Hogwarts could kill two of his worst enemies, as well as demoralizing the rest of the wizarding world. Dumbledore baited Voldemort into a trap, and when Voldemort committed himself and most of his army, he sprung it."

Ginny winced.

Wesley sighed and stared at the paper. "The Muggle press compared the devastation to the 1908 explosion in Siberia. The ash and smoke thrown into the stratosphere made for a cold winter that year and the next. Makes you wonder about the Siberian explosion, doesn't it? Frankly, it was a miracle that not one Muggle died. The fact that every inhabitant within fifty miles felt compelled to be across country that day is another mystery the Muggles will be pondering to the end of time."

He sat down at his desk, and stared across at Ginny. The silence lengthened.

"So, that's how we won the war," she said. "I always wondered. But that doesn't answer my question: why are you leaving?"

Wesley stood up so fast, his seat went flying. "Don't you see! Don't you see what we did? We killed Voldemort! We killed Voldemort and the bulk of his Death Eater army! Dumbledore did it by sacrificing himself and Hogwarts and leaving a huge crater behind!"

"How?" demanded Ginny. "I still don't understand that."

"Everything has a temporal potential, like potential energy. As we move forward in time, that potential changes. Bring an object back in time, and touch it with its earlier self, and the potential equalizes, with a tremendous release of energy. It's the wizarding equivalent of an atomic bomb."

"So?" said Ginny.

"So?" Wesley echoed. "Ginny: Ron and Hermione are pregnant. Who do you think they're pregnant with?"

Ginny sat back in her seat. After a moment, she shook her head. "You don't know this is going to happen. I've been reading up on time travel theory as well, and I know there's something called a Butterfly Effect."

"I know about the Butterfly Effect," Wesley muttered.

"Where small changes expand over time to produce unexpected results? You changed history, remember? You wiped out the future that caused you to go back in time. You've lived alongside your parents for ten years. Who knows all that you've changed, or at what level. How do you know that they went through the exact same procedures to conceive their baby as they did when they conceived you?"

"I can't take that chance," yelled Wesley. "Right now, everything is falling into place: from the date of their wedding to the date Mum went into labour. It's all ticking down to today, my birthday. I have no choice! I have to leave, for you, for Ron, for Hermione and for six million other people I could name if I had the London telephone directory handy!"

"You don't have to touch the baby," said Ginny. "You can tell if there's a temporal charge before you touch the two things together. You felt it when the two staffs were close together. At least come in and see if what you fear is true."

"I can't." Wesley drew a shaky breath. "It would mean having to say goodbye, in person. And I can't face that."

Ginny stared at him. "So, after all that you've done, and after all that you've faced, you're that much of a coward?"

Wesley looked up, opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Finally, he said, "Yes."

"That's what I thought," said a third voice.

Wesley perked up. His eyes scanned the area around the desk and he reached out and snatched the air. Harry's invisibility cloak fell away. "Harry! How long have you been listening?"

"The whole time," Harry replied. "You always confided in Ginny far more readily than you do me."

Wesley picked his seat up from off the floor. He sat down and glared at them both. "You set me up."

"No," said Ginny. "You confided in me, and Harry just happened to listen in."

"So, you suspected what I was doing and why. Why did I have to go through that long tale?"

"So that you could hear it for yourself," said Harry. "And we could get this out into the open. But that's not why we're here."

"Why are you here?"

"Because two people are far more likely to drag you kicking and screaming to St. Mungo's maternity ward than one." Harry squared his shoulders. Ginny clenched her cane.

Wesley sagged. "All right," he said. "Damn you, but all right. I'll go and say goodbye."

***

They Apparated to St. Mungo's. Wesley held back at the doors as though portending doom, but came forward reluctantly when Harry and Ginny glared. They paused briefly at reception to get Hermione's room number and then set off through the corridors, Harry leading the way, Ginny positioning herself behind Wesley, her stare on his back pushing him along.

It was quiet in the hospital, for the first time any of them had remembered, but doom hung over Wesley like a cloud.

Finally, they turned a corner, and saw Ron emerging from the maternity ward, an icepack over his blackened eye.

"Ron!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Harry," said Ron, "When you and Ginny have children, try not to be in the maternity ward when she's in labour. And, if you have to go, don't _ever_ say 'just keep pushing, dear. You can do it. It can't be that bad, can it?'"

Ginny's hand shot to her mouth. "You didn't!"

"As God is my witness, I'll never make that mistake again."

Wesley couldn't help himself. Despite Ron's glare, he began to laugh. Then Ron began to smile, then to chuckle, until Wesley was doubled over against the wall, and Ron not far behind. Harry and Ginny watched, smiling but a little nervous, ready in case either patient slipped into hysterics.

Finally, Wesley and Ron stopped laughing. Ron looked seriously at his son. "Thank you for showing up."

"I'm sorry," said Wesley. "I'm even sorrier Harry and Ginny had to drag me."

"Why didn't you just tell us, Wesley?"

"You asked me that very same question ten years ago. The answer today is roughly the same. How's Mum?"

"She's fine."

"Is everybody fine?" asked Wesley.

"Well, most everybody," said Ron. "But you'd better watch out for—"

"There you are!"

Wesley whirled around, only to have Parvati slap him hard, from left to right, across his face. He stumbled back into the wall. "That!" she shouted, "is for leaving me!"

She slapped him again, from right to left. "That! Is for not telling me why!"

Then she pulled up to him, stood on tiptoe, and planted a kiss hard on his lips. "And that," she said, "is for being yourself. Don't ever change. And don't be long." She walked away down the hall, leaving Wesley staring after her, a hand on his cheek.

Ron came up to him, still holding his icepack to his black eye. "Women," he said.

"Yeah," said Wesley.

Harry stepped up and put a hand on Wesley's shoulder. "Come on. It's time."

Wesley cast one more glance at the determined expressions of Harry, Ron and Ginny. He drew himself up. "Yes. It's time."

They led him into Hermione's room.

Wesley crossed the threshold with the air of someone entering a minefield. He looked around, frowning, at the odd quiet of the room.

His family pushed him forward.

He saw Hermione lying in bed, her hair clumped with sweat, but a blissful smile on her face. She tickled a small, shifting bundle in her arms.

She looked up at Wesley, and her smile broadened. "Wesley," she said, her voice wispy with happiness and exhaustion. "I want you to meet Harriet Granger-Weasley."

Wesley stood staring as Harry and Ron broke into big grins. They pushed him closer. The electric tension that had accompanied the two staffs was not there.

"It's a girl?" he gasped.

"You changed history, remember?" said Harry. "Say hello to your sister, who just happens to share your birthday."

Wesley took up the swaddled baby and held her in his arms. The world didn't end. "It's a girl! She's not me! I don't have to leave!" 

"Welcome home, son," said Ron.

"Maybe now you can start living in it," said Ginny.

Wesley started to cry. Great sobs shook his shoulders; his mouth open and smiling. "I can stay!"

"Of course," said Hermione.

Ron hugged his son.

Nobody was coherent for a while after that.   


The End

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